Toy molding press

ABSTRACT

A press is provided for use as a toy and the like which may be easily loaded with moldable material and easily operated by hand. The mold or die for the press contains a movable insert portion which, when manually actuated, ejects the molded piece therefrom.

Umted States Patent 1 1 1 1 3,920,368 Lemelson 1 Nov. 18, 1975 [54] TOY MOLDING PRESS 320/541 6/1885 Crossley et a1. 425/422 438,763 10/1890 J d 1, 425/422 [76] Inventor: Jemme 85 Rector SL4 702.183 6/1902 13 112131; 425/422 Memchefl, 03840 779.800 1/1905 Philipp 425/422 x 1,344,091 6/1920 Schoenkerman 1 1 425/195 [22] 1974 1,890,458 12/1932 Dziedzic 425/422 x [2!] A pl. No.1 436,074 2.466.407 4/1949 Friesledt et a1 425/195 52 us. c1. 425/195; 425/422; 425/441; Spice,

425/444; 425/458 [51] h t. Cl. .1 829C 3/00 57 ABSTRACT [58] Field of Search 425/188, 189, 195, 422,

425/406 44L 444, 458 A press is provided for use as a toy and the like WhlCh may be easily loaded with moldable material and eas- [56] References Cited ily operated by hand. The mold or die for the press contains a movable insert portion which, when manu- UNITED STATES PATENTS ally actuated, ejects the molded piece therefrom. 135,323 1/1873 Dutrow 1. 425/422 214,849 4/1879 Smedley 425/422 11 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures U.S.- Patent Nov. 18, 1975 3,920,368

20 I8 gas 43 W3 am FIG? FIGS F|G.9 FIG. IO

TOY MOLDING PRESS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a toy press which may be utilized to form bondable particulate material into a variety of shapes such as balls, discs, rings and other shapes to form toys, toy components and edible products thereof. In a particular form of the invention, a particulate form of chewing gum is disposed within a specially shaped mold and is compressed to form a self-supporting article wherein the particles are compressed and bonded together.

A variety of molding and candy making toys have been developed which either employ heat to render a casting or molding material in a molten condition or a cold setting material which, after a substantial period of time, will solidify to shape in a mold. Thus, shortcomings of such toys include either the necessity of heating the molding material and/or the delay of a substantial period of time while waiting for the molding material to solidify or set within the mold.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved device which is simple in structure and may be easily operated by a child to form small articles of certain particulate materials without difficulty and without the need for applying great force thereto.

Another object is to provide a new and improved toy for molding candy and confectionary material without the need for water.

Another object is to provide a molding toy in which an article is compression molded of particulate material in a multiple-part mold and is very easily ejected from the mold and dispensed.

Another object is to provide a molding toy for molding ball-shaped objects, of special particulate material such as chewing gum which may be easily consolidated with pressure.

Another object is to provide a molding toy for compression molding particulate materials in a simple mold having but a few parts which are easily assembled and dissassembled and easily cleaned.

With the above and such other objects in view as may hereinafter more fully appear, the invention consists of the novel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as will be more fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawingsm but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one form of the molding toy comprising the instant invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view with parts broken away and sectioned for clarity of the molding toy shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view in cross section of the mold of the toy of FIGS. 1 and 2 during the act of charging same;

FIG. 4 is a side view in cross section of the mold of FIGS. 1 and 2 during the act of compressing a molding material to shape;

FIG. 5 is a side view in cross section of the mold of FIGS. 1 and 2 during the act of removing a molded piece therefrom;

FIGS. 6 9 are isometric views of various flat faced molded pieces which may be formed by special molds used in the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2 and FIG. 10 is an isometric view of a ball shaped object molded by means of apparats of the type shown in FIGS. I and 2.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown details of a compression molding device 10 which may be used as a toy for pressing certain particulate materials to shapes such as those illustrated in FIGS. 6-11. The device 10 comprises an assembly of a base 11 having upstanding side walls 12 and 13 joined by a horizontal bottom wall 14 and respectively serving as supports for the ends of a cylindrical shaft 16 which is supported in respective holes 15 in said side walls.

Rotatably supported on shaft 16 is a cam 17 to which is connected a long rod 18 with a ball-shaped end 19 for hand grasping the assembly which includes said rod. The rod 18 serves as a handle for pivoting cam 17. Disposed below shaft 16 is a block 23 having a cavity 23R in its upper surface, in which cavity is supported a die or mold 21. The die 21 has a bore 22 in which particulate molding material is compressed to shape between two pin-like die or mold members 20 and 25. Member 20 is shown as a cylindrical pin which is slidably en gaged in the bore 22 as is the head end 27 of member 25. The lower end 26 of member is of a smaller diameter than head end 27 and is slidably engaged in a reduced diameter extension 22' of the bore 22 in die member 21 so that the underside of the head 27 rests against the shelf formed where bore 22 reduces to bore 22'.

To mold an article in the cavity of the mold, particu' late molding material P is poured from a container C as shown in FIG. 3 to a predetermined level of the molding cavity while member 25 is resting at the bottom of the cavity as shown and the end 26 thereof projects into a cavity or bore 24 below the cavity 23R. The mold member or pin 20 is next placed in the bore 22 as shown in FIG. 4 while handle 18 is in the up position shown in FIG. I, permitting cam 17 to be clear of the upper end of pin 20. Handle 18 is then pivoted downwardly to the position illustrated in FIG. 2 causing the cam to engage the upper end of pin 20 and urging pin 20 to move downwardly and to compress the powdered molding material in the bore 22 so as to consolidate the particles to conform to the shape defined by the surface of components 20,21 and 25. The molded article T, which is a short cylinder, may be removed from the mold by removing pin 20 and then forcing member 25 along bore 22 by engaging the end of the portion 26 with an actuator or hammer such as denoted 28 in FIG. 5 by pushing against the end of portion 26 of pin member 25 with sufficient force such that the compressed molding material or article T may be forced from the cavity as a completed molding.

A variety of differently shaped articles, such as those illustrated in FIGS. 6-10, may be molded in a mold by means of apparatus of the type illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 from a variety of particulate materials, the shape thereof depending on the configuration of the bore 22 and, in certain instances, the configurations of the ends of the die or mold members 20 and 25. For example, in addition to shapes of the type illustrated in FIGS. 6l0, other shapes such as the ball shown in FIG. 10 may be produced by properly configuring the ends of the mold members 20 and 25 such as by shaping same with semispherical cavities to form respective semi-spherical portions and 46 and band 47 of the ball 44 illustrated.

A variety of different molding materials may be compressed to shape by means of a molding apparatus of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each preferably composed of a suitable particulate molding material which is either, in itself. pressure bondable or is coated with a suitable adhesive bonding material.

A suitable molding material comprises particles of chewing gum such as that manufactured by the Fleer Corporation of Philadelphia, Pa. Other suitable molding materials may comprise other food or non-food products such as powdered confections including sugars and the like, the particles of which are capable of being bonded together when compressed as described.

lt is noted that the toy molding apparatus described and illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be subject to a number of variations in structure and operation without departing from the spirit of the invention. While the actuating arm 18 is shown as adapted to be manually pivoted about a substantially horizontal axis to compress molding material between the mold components, it may also be pivoted about an axis other than horizontal or operated by a more complex mechanism to cause the cam 17 to urge movement of the mold member 20 through the bore or passageway 22 in mold member 21 in the act of compressing and molding particulate material to shape as described. The actuator 28 which is employed to urge movement of the mold member 28 axially through the bore 22 to eject a molded part therefrom as shown in FIG. 5 may be a separate unit or may be movably supported by the mold support block 23 or the mold member 2] to effect ejection of the molded piece from the mold bore 22 without removal of the mold or mold member 21 from the support block 23.

I claim:

1. A molding toy comprising:

a support,

a multiple part mold supported by said support and having an inlet for particulate molding material, said multiple parts of said mold including:

a first mold member having a bore defining a passageway therein,

a second mold member slidably supported within said bore defining said passageway of said first mold member,

a third mold member having a peripheral surface which is slidably supported by the wall of said bore in said first mold member for longitudinal movement of said third mold member within said passageway of said first mold member, said third mold member having a surface portion which is operable for cooperating with said second mold member in shaping molding material in said mold,

means for retaining said second mold member at a first location within said passageway during a molding operation,

first actuating means including an arm pivotally sup ported by said support and adapted, when pivoted in one direction, to urge said third mold member to move longitudinally through said passageway toward said second mold member so as to decrease the distance between said second and third mold members and to compress and mold molding material disposed within said passageway into a defined shape, and I second actuating means associated with said second mold member and operable, when a force is applied thereto, to urge movement of a molded shape 4 longitudinally through said passageway of said first mold member to effect removal of said molded shape from said passageway.

2. A molding toy in accordance with claim I wherein said first actuating means includes cam means secured to said arm and rotatable therewith, said cam means having a working surface which is operable when said cam means is rotated as said arm is pivoted to engage and urge movement ofsaid third mold member towards aid second mold member within said passageway and to compress molding material disposed within said passageway between said second and third mold member into a defined shape.

3. A molding toy in accordance with claim 1 wherein said passageway in said first mold member is substantially cylindrical in shape and said second and third mold members are each defined by portions which are cylindical in shape and configured to slidably engage the wall of and move longitudinally through said passageway in said first mold member.

4. A molding toy in accordance with claim 3 wherein said second and third mold members are each disposed at opposite ends of said cylindrical passageway in said first mold member and each is separately movable through said cylindrical passageway, and means for preventing movement of said second mold member when force is applied thereto through molding material as it is compacted by the movement of said third mold member thereagainst.

5. A molding toy in accordance with claim 1 wherein said passageway in said first mold member extends completely through said first mold member and said second and third mold members are disposed at opposite ends of and within said passageway and wherein the ends of each of said second and third mold members normally protrude beyond the ends of said passageway, said first actuating means being operable to engage the end of said third mold member which protrudes beyond the end of said passageway in said first mold member and means for restraining movement of said second mold member while said third mold member is urged by said actuating means against molding material in said passageway towards said second mold member.

6. A molding toy in accordance with claim 5 wherein said second actuating means normally protrudes from the end of said first mold member during a molding operation so as to be accessible from the exterior of said first mold member.

7. A molding toy in accordance with claim 6 including means for applying force to said second actuating means protruding from the end of said first mold member so as to urge movement of said second mold member and a shape of molding material longitudinally through said passageway in said first mold member to toward the other end thereof to permit removal of said shape from said passageway.

8. A molding toy in accordance with claim 1 wherein said support includes a base portion adapted to support said toy upright on a substantially horizontal surface and respective upstanding portions supported by said base portion and operable to respectively support said first mold member and said first actuating means in operable relationship with each other.

9. A molding toy in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first actuating means includes cam means sup ported for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis by said support.

S 6 10. A molding toy in accordance with claim 9 ll. A molding toy in accordance with claim 1 wherein said actuating means includes an arm extendwherein the molding material which is compressed to ing radially outwardly from and attached to said cam form said molded shape between said second and third means for pivoting said cam means when said arm is mold members is a particulate form of chewing gum urged in rotation about said horizontal axis. 

1. A molding toy comprising: a support, a multiple part mold supported by said support and having an inlet for particulate molding material, said multiple parts of said mold including: a first mold member having a bore defining a passageway therein, a second mold member slidably supported within said bore defining said passageway of said first mold member, a third mold member having a peripheral surface which is slidably supported by the wall of said bore in said first mold member for longitudinal movement of said third mold member within said passageway of said first mold member, said third mold member having a surface portion which is operable for cooperating with said second mold member in shaping molding material in said mold, means for retaining said second mold member at a first location within said passageway during a molding operation, first actuating means including an arm pivotally supported by said support and adapted, when pivoted in one direction, to urge said third mold member to move longitudinally through said passageway toward said second mold member so as to decrease the distance between said second and third mold members and to compress and mold molding material disposed within said passageway into a defined shape, and second actuating means associated with said second mold member and operable, when a force is applied thereto, to urge movement of a molded shape longitudinally through said passageway of said first mold member to effect removal of said molded shape from said passageway.
 2. A molding toy in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first actuating means includes cam means secured to said arm and rotatable therewith, said cam means having a working surface which is operable when said cam means is rotated as said arm is pivoted to engage and urge movement of said third mold member towards aid second mold member within said passageway and to compress molding material disposed within said passageway between said second and third mold member into a defined shape.
 3. A molding toy in accordance with claim 1 wherein said passageway in said first mold member is substantially cylindrical in shape and said second and third mold members are each defined by portions which are cylindical in shape and configured to slidably engage the wall of and move longitudinally through said passageway in said first mold member.
 4. A molding toy in accordance with claim 3 wherein said second and third mold members are each disposed at opposite ends of said cylindrical passageway in said first mold member and each is separately movable through said cylindrical passageway, and means for preventing movement of said second mold member when force is applied thereto through molding materIal as it is compacted by the movement of said thrid mold member thereagainst.
 5. A molding toy in accordance with claim 1 wherein said passageway in said first mold member extends completely through said first mold member and said second and third mold members are disposed at opposite ends of and within said passageway and wherein the ends of each of said second and third mold members normally protrude beyond the ends of said passageway, said first actuating means being operable to engage the end of said third mold member which protrudes beyond the end of said passageway in said first mold member and means for restraining movement of said second mold member while said third mold member is urged by said actuating means against molding material in said passageway towards said second mold member.
 6. A molding toy in accordance with claim 5 wherein said second actuating means normally protrudes from the end of said first mold member during a molding operation so as to be accessible from the exterior of said first mold member.
 7. A molding toy in accordance with claim 6 including means for applying force to said second actuating means protruding from the end of said first mold member so as to urge movement of said second mold member and a shape of molding material longitudinally through said passageway in said first mold member to toward the other end thereof to permit removal of said shape from said passageway.
 8. A molding toy in accordance with claim 1 wherein said support includes a base portion adapted to support said toy upright on a substantially horizontal surface and respective upstanding portions supported by said base portion and operable to respectively support said first mold member and said first actuating means in operable relationship with each other.
 9. A molding toy in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first actuating means includes cam means supported for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis by said support.
 10. A molding toy in accordance with claim 9 wherein said actuating means includes an arm extending radially outwardly from and attached to said cam means for pivoting said cam means when said arm is urged in rotation about said horizontal axis.
 11. A molding toy in accordance with claim 1 wherein the molding material which is compressed to form said molded shape between said second and third mold members is a particulate form of chewing gum. 